Cost of using iPhone in Australia? (email/data/sms, etc at roaming rate)

I took my old V3 Razr to Australia last October, and after activitating international coverage, I had no problem with getting access on the Cingular network there. My only use was a few phone calls, and I didn't incur any horrible or unexpected fees.

From what I can see, it looks like ATT & the iPhone should likewise work in OZ.

What is different now is that many of the features I've taken a liking to since my new toy was purchased on June 29th (email, web access, and the occasional SMS messages, etc.) are features I'm unclear about when using international "roaming" with regard to the cost. I'm also unclear which features should work there, and which won't? My guess is that a few things like visual voicemail may not be supported, but perhaps I'm wrong?

The actual phone call costs are pretty straight forward, but when I see something (from above link) like this:"Data Usage: All GPRS pay per use rates are $.0195/KB"
...I have no real world clue how that might add up in real dollars based on what sort of use I put in overseas.

Has anyone used their iPhone in Australia (or anywhere overseas) yet, and if so, what were your experiences with access and use of iPhone features, and just how much damage was there in the next bill?

I took my old V3 Razr to Australia last October, and after activitating international coverage, I had no problem with getting access on the Cingular network there. My only use was a few phone calls, and I didn't incur any horrible or unexpected fees.

From what I can see, it looks like ATT & the iPhone should likewise work in OZ.

What is different now is that many of the features I've taken a liking to since my new toy was purchased on June 29th (email, web access, and the occasional SMS messages, etc.) are features I'm unclear about when using international "roaming" with regard to the cost. I'm also unclear which features should work there, and which won't? My guess is that a few things like visual voicemail may not be supported, but perhaps I'm wrong?

The actual phone call costs are pretty straight forward, but when I see something (from above link) like this:"Data Usage: All GPRS pay per use rates are $.0195/KB"
...I have no real world clue how that might add up in real dollars based on what sort of use I put in overseas.

Has anyone used their iPhone in Australia (or anywhere overseas) yet, and if so, what were your experiences with access and use of iPhone features, and just how much damage was there in the next bill?

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It's $20 per meg.

I am currently using my iPhone in the Cayman Islands... $2 per min 50¢ per text and $20 per meg. I am doing my best not to use the data (just Wifi) and I have .8 mb ($16) and have used 10 texts ($5). As you can see I am trying to keep my bill low, but some people have worked up $3000 bills!

I am currently using my iPhone in the Cayman Islands... $2 per min 50¢ per text and $20 per meg. I am doing my best not to use the data (just Wifi) and I have .8 mb ($16) and have used 10 texts ($5). As you can see I am trying to keep my bill low, but some people have worked up $3000 bills!

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Thanks for that! OK... so if I want to avoid adding a ton of extra charges, and just use my iPhone as a phone while in OZ, what do I need to do (or not do)? I'm searching through the settings on the phone, and having a bit of trouble figuring out what changes (if any) to make?

If I read the comment above, it looks like any time I'm getting roaming on a local cell network (like ATT's EDGE here in the US), I'll be potentially paying for big data use, but if I can find free WiFi access somewhere in OZ, there shouldn't be any extra charges to me?

The last thing I want to have happen is to have the phone sitting in my pocket and some cell company in Australia is billing me by the second just because my phone is turned on. LOL

If I read the comment above, it looks like any time I'm getting roaming on a local cell network (like ATT's EDGE here in the US), I'll be potentially paying for big data use, but if I can find free WiFi access somewhere in OZ, there shouldn't be any extra charges to me?

The last thing I want to have happen is to have the phone sitting in my pocket and some cell company in Australia is billing me by the second just because my phone is turned on. LOL

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It won't be the company in Australia billing you, it'll be AT&T who charge you. And just a word of caution, there are VERY few free WiFi spots around. The majority of the time you have to pay to access a network unfortunately.

It won't be the company in Australia billing you, it'll be AT&T who charge you. And just a word of caution, there are VERY few free WiFi spots around. The majority of the time you have to pay to access a network unfortunately.

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Thanks for that warning. So here is my follow up question: What extra financial risks (if any) do I have simply having my iPhone turned on in Australia? Assuming that I don't intentiallty click on email or Utube or Safari buttons, is "data" being transferred at any point?

What can I "turn off" in my preferences to prevent that, or can I at all? I'm guessing that if a SMS message comes to me, I'm paying extra no matter what. True?

Thanks for that warning. So here is my follow up question: What extra financial risks (if any) do I have simply having my iPhone turned on in Australia? Assuming that I don't intentiallty click on email or Utube or Safari buttons, is "data" being transferred at any point?

What can I "turn off" in my preferences to prevent that, or can I at all? I'm guessing that if a SMS message comes to me, I'm paying extra no matter what. True?

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You won't get charged for anything if your phone is just on. If you get an SMS message it will come off of your account (NOT roaming), so if you have a 200 SMS package it will take one off of that. If you send an SMS message you will be charged roaming and it will take one off of your 200.

If you want to turn everything off and just use it as an iPod you can put Airplane mode on (from inside preferences), I don't know for sure but you may be able to call AT&T and have them disable EDGE for the length of your trip. That way you won't rack up any charges if you accidentally tap a data using app.

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